SHELBURNE - A Shelburne man has pleaded not guilty to one count of animal cruelty after three horses were seized from his home.

Sixty-three-year-old George Wilson, a former newsman at WCAX-TV in South Burlington, says authorities overreacted and he plans to contest the charge.

A stallion and two mares are being cared for at Spring Hill Horse Rescue in Clarendon after officials said the horses were found in small, dark stalls, standing in manure and surrounded by the remains of deceased horses.

A judge on Tuesday dropped a charge against Wilson's wife, 64-four-year-old Ann Gilbreth, saying he could not find probable cause because the police affidavit did not show that she also owned the horses.